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Nykona Sharrowkyn
Nykona Sharrowkyn was one of the deadliest members of the Legiones Astartes to tread the battlefields of the early 31st Millennium. Deployed with the first attack wave of the Raven Guard during the infamous Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V, Sharrowkyn was able to survive the desperate battles of those dark days, but was unfortunately separated from his Legion with no mean to rejoin them. Determined to see the Warmaster's treachery punished, Sharrowkyn would later join other survivors from the Shattered Legions aboard the Iron Hands' Strike Cruiser Sisypheum to continue the fight against the Traitors. As part of the Sysipheum’s crew, Sharrowkyn's actions would prove instrumental in many battles, ensuring the continued survival of the almost legendary vessel and its valiant crew. History Whilst it is unknown if Nykona Sharrowkyn was born on the Raven Guard's homeworld of Kiavahr or on the prison-moon Lycaeus, Sharrowkyn grew up within the confines of the prison-moons cell-blocks. According to his own testimony, as soon as he was able to walk, he was used as a salt boy, one of the countless children to be sent down the narrow tunnels leading to Lycaeus' tidal pools to harvest the precious salt for the tool-making factories tempering waters. This was an inherently dangerous task, as many children died in these tunnels, surprised by the unannounced surge of water that filled a cave in minutes or killed by collapsing stone. Mortality rates amongst these children were in fact so high that the saying went that the best salt was the one harvested from the bones of the dead. Through skill and luck, Sharrowkyn survived the salt mines until he grew too big for the narrow tunnels and was transferred to the proper mines. Sharrowkyn was merely thirteen years old when this happened, leaving the deeper parts of the moon for its surface. Sharrowkyn nevertheless kept a fond memory of this transfer as it was the first time he ever saw the sun. While visibly involved in the rebellion led by Corvus Corax to rid Lycaeus of the rule of the Tech-Guilds of Kiavahr and the cruel overseers that had been oppressing Lycaeus' population for centuries, it is unknown which role Sharrowkyn had within the rebel's army -- but his extensive knowledge on Corax's way of war seemed to indicate that Sharrowkyn must have been close to the Primarch, or at least he was utilised as one of the several decoys used to confuse the prison's guards. However, it is also quite possible that Sharoowkyn was too young to actively participate in the slaves' uprising and that he gained all the knowledge he possessed on that matter from other accounts or the testimonies of first-hand participants. After the successful capture of the Black Tower, the same building that would become the famed Ravenspire, the liberation of Kiavahr and its inclusion within the Imperium of Mankind, Nykona Sharrowkyn was selected to become one of the Emperor's Legiones Astartes, a warrior of the XIXth Legion -- the Raven Guard. Great Crusade As one of the most secretive of the Legiones Astartes, the Raven Guard have always valued their discretion and many of its greatest victory were only rendered public years after the enemy had been silenced. Sharrowkyn's participation in the Great Crusade is largely unknown. In fact, very few solid information on Sharrowkyn's career within the Raven Guard are readily available apart from his induction into the ranks of the 66th Company. From later testimonies, it seems almost certain that Sharrowkyn was a member of the Mor Deythan, the Raven Guard's elite infiltration squads, although Sharrowkyn always publicly denied the fact that he indeed belonged to this august formation. Yet his natural discretion and his excellent marksmanship suggest otherwise. As only a true Mor Deythan would be able to, Nykona had been blessed with his Primarch's rare gift to shroud himself in shadows -- an art he allegedly studied amongst the greatest of the XIXth Legion's Shadowmasters. Rumors have it that Sharrowkyn was also one of the selected few that had personally been trained in hand-to-hand combat by Corax himself -- his deadly prowess with the shortsword certainly giving credence to this tale. Yet his great autonomy in the field might also indicate that Sharrowyn, in fact, belonged to a previously unknown order of trained assassins and infiltrators, an alternative to the Legion's extensive cadre of Moritat. While Sharrowkyn’s involvement in the Great Crusade will probably never be fully revealed, events placed him on the black sands of Istvaan V during the infamous Drop Site Massacre. A few months prior to this military disaster that almost saw the Raven Guard undone, as well as inflicting dire losses on both the Salamanders and Iron Hands Legions. The Emperor's chosen son, the Warmaster Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the recently renamed Sons of Horus, had announced his formal secession from the Imperium of Mankind and had rallied three of his brother Primarchs and their Legions to him, names now forever marked with the seal of infamy: Fulgrim of the Emperor's Children, Angron of the World Eaters and Mortarion of the Death Guard. In his first act of treachery, the Warmaster brutally purged those Legions sworn to him of any Loyalist elements during the Istvaan III Atrocity, before entrenching himself alongside the Death Guard, the Emperor’s Children and the World Eaters legions on the planet of Istvaan V, awaiting the punitive expedition that was bound to be sent by the Emperor. The Raven Guard were chosen alongside the Iron Hands and the Salamanders to form the first assault wave, with the Iron Warriors, Alpha Legion, Word Bearers and Night Lords forming the second wave. As for the other Legions involved, the Raven Guard would deploy almost its entire military strength, including the 66th Company. As before, Sharrowkyn's actions on this most tragic of days are matter of pure conjuncture. What is known, with any certainty, is that the Raven Guard valiantly assailed the enemy positions, and that sometime during the the Loyalist attack, Sharrowkyn was wounded and brought back to a loyalist camp to be medically treated. He was still there when the Traitors of the second attack wave showed their true allegiance, by callously opening fire on the Iron Hands, Salamanders and Raven Guard. To their credit, the Loyalist reacted quickly. Having been bloodied against fellow Legionaries and Legions they had in some cases served along during the Great Crusade, the retreating Salamanders and Raven Guard immediately returned fire. The Iron Hands were the still mostly battling the Emperor’s Children, fueled by the anger of their Primarch Ferrus Manus as he sought out his treacherous brother Fulgrim to face him in single combat. The full testimony of this dreadful day is told elsewhere, but for Sharrowkyn, the battle was already lost. Wounded and separated from his Legion - which already sought to escape the deadly trap that was now forming - Sharrowkyn followed his instincts. The XIXth Legion did not breed common warriors or those Legionaries that would gladly choose to die weapon in hands, hurling insults at the enemy while fighting on till their dying breath, no, the Raven Guard only lived according to one motto: strike, fade and strike again. Despite the pandemonium that reigned in the loyalist camp, despite the bombardment unleashed by the Iron Warriors and even the Alpha Legion’s Headhunter squads assassinating the Loyalist Apothecaries within the camp, the wounded Sharrowkyn looked for any mean of escaping the camp alife. It was then most fortunate for him that he encountered Iron Father Sabik Wayland of the Iron Hands Legion. ''Sisypheum'' The reasons behind Wayland's presence in the camp are as obscure as those explaining Sharrowkyn's, nevertheless, if it hadn't been for the Iron Father's presence, Sharrowkyn would likely have died that day on the black sands of Istvaan. As it was, Wayland dragged Sharrowkyn to the nearest Thunderhawk available -- by pure coincidence an Iron Hands gunship -- positioned himself in the pilot seat and started the engines. Iron Hands and Salamanders Legionaries, most of which were wounded, secured themselves in the Thunderhawk's troop compartment before take-off. Despite an impressive amount of ground-fire, Wayland's piloting skills saw the Thunderhawk safely reach the stratosphere, where the deadly void-battle between Loyalist and Traitors was as fierce as the combat on the ground. Wayland headed straight to his own vessel, the Sisypheum, which had survived thus far. The Loyalists fared little better in the void as they did on the ground. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, any Loyalist captain knew that to stay was to invite a swift death by broadside or a messy death at the hands of Traitor boarding parties. Despite these risks, many a captain stayed in orbit above Istvaan V in order to allow those survivors from the ground attack to dock. The Sisypheum did so and used the timely arrival of the Iron Hands Fleet to make good its escape. It was to be a close call as they relied on the combination of daring escape vectors, periods of silent running, masquerading as one of the drifting wrecks and a finally, a mad dash to the minimum safe distant to enter the Warp. By that point, the Sisypheum had taken a severe beating -- whole decks having been sealed against the void or ravaged by fire. Its command structure and crew were ad-hoc at best, but was still formed in its majority by serfs and Legionaries from the Iron Hands. There were a few Salamanders Legionaries, amongst them an Apothecary by the name of Atesh Tarsa, who had also been rescued from the blood-soaked soil of Istvaan as well as a single Raven Guard, Nykona Sharrowkyn. Despite the severe casualties taken, those that would soon be called the "Shattered Legions" were resolute to stay in the fight and to become a thorn in the Traitor's side and to avenge their fallen brothers. Cavor Sarta To Kill a Primarch Iydris Allies Unlooked For With the losses suffered on Iydris, the Sisypheum’s offensive capabilities had been severely reduced. The ship itself had not escaped unscathed, but as before, the dedication of its crew had allowed the Sisypheum to endure. The Strike Cruiser could still prove a deadly opponent as isolated enemy ships would soon find out. The Zeta Morgeld, a Strike Cruiser belonging to the XXth Legion, was only the latest vessel to be cornered and boarded by the Sisypheum. While the Iron Hands conducted a more conventional boarding action, Sharrowkyn and his partner, Wayland, chose an alternate route -- running along the Morgeld’s exterior hull to reach the bridge. To gain access to the ship's interior, Wayland carried a lascutter, a high-powered cutting tool, which would allowed the pair to breach the Morgeld’s bridge and circumvent its extensive defensive measure. However, as the main attack was bogged down by a pair of Alpha Legion Terminators, Sharrowkyn and Wayland stepped in to save Captain Tyro's life. The first Terminator was sucked into the void and the second was no match for Sharrowkyn's deadly blade work. The Zeta Morgeld’s navigational logs held highly classified information -- the future location of the Alpha Legion's illusive Primarch, Alpharius. Though encrypted, Wayland and Frater Thamatica were able to crack the enemy codes thanks to the captured Kryptos. Having been stripped of anything useful, the Iron Hands were about to dispose of the Zeta Morgeld when the Sisypheum unexpectedly came under attack by the Theta Malquiant, another Alpha Legion Strike Cruiser, that had just appeared in-system. The Theta Malquiant did not come alone, however, for it had been followed by a Loyalist vessel, the Iron Heart, flagship of the famed Iron Hands Captain Shadrak Meduson. While the Iron Hands rejoiced of the Iron Heart’s timely arrival and the prospect of joining forces with one of their Legion's greatest heroes, Sharrowkyn was more reserved. Ever suspicious, the Iron Heart’s miraculous arrival and timely rescue of the Sisypheum sat ill at ease with the Raven Guard. The XIXth Legion had always been cautious, disliking sacrificing its warriors in often costly direct assaults when the same goal could be attained through other means. This same sense of caution lead Sharrowkyn to speak out against Tyro, urging the assembled command council of the Sisypheum to cut all vox-links to the Iron Heart and rapidly vacate the system. But the Sisypheum was still an Iron Hands' vessel and Sharrowkyn's warnings were easily dismissed by the eager Iron Hands. On a purely rational level, Sharrowkyn could understand the Iron Hands psychological need to fight together : the Iron Tenth was not used to guerilla warfare and while they would never openly admit to it, this style of covert operations gnawed at their resolve. Fully knowing that he was still perceived as an outsider, Sharrowkyn departed the bridge. Leaving the Iron Hands to their reunion the Raven Guard isolated himself on the Sisypheum’s forging decks. He was however not entirely alone as he was in company of another outsider to the Xth Legion: Atesh Tarsa of the Salamanders. Though their mutual appearance could not have been more different, an honest friendship had developed between the stealth expert and the Apothecary. To Tarsa, Sharrowkyn confessed his doubts on the course of action Cadmus Tyro had set them on: to join their meagre forces with those of Meduson and hunt down Alpharius. Sharrowkyn however did not trust Meduson and had decided to covertly infiltrate the Iron Heart on his own to ascertain that Meduson was truly who he pretended to be. While the Sisypheum’s Kryptos was decrypting the data retrieved from the Zeta Morgeld, Sharrowkyn covertly attached himself to a lone shuttle, thus setting over to the Iron Heart. Gaining access inside the ship was simplicity itself as the Iron Heart was woefully undermanned. Prowling the Strike Cruiser's corridors, Sharrowkyn remarked that the ship had almost been entirely rebuilt from within, a testimony to the Iron Heart’s recent encounters with the enemy. Yet the lay-out of the new cursives and corridors was a far cry from the more common and ordinate structures of the STC-template used in the Imperium's shipyards. Contacting Wayland over a secure vox-channel, Sharrowkyn gained access to the Sisypheum’s extensive data-logs which contained the initial construction plans of the Iron Heart. What he had seen, thus far, was a far cry from the what he could see on the blueprints, however before he could investigate the matter any further, Sharrowkyn was discovered by Shadrak Meduson. Having acted without permission or even knowledge from Tyro, Sharrowkyn's presence on the Iron Heart might well have caused further tensions if Meduson had not conceded in revealing the presence of his own infiltrator aboard the Sisypheum. Scolding Tyro for his lack of precautions and inquisitive nature, Meduson let the case rest, but this entire incident only served to strengthen Sharrowkyn's misgivings toward the Iron Hands Captain. No warrior of the Xth Legion, however cautious and well-versed in the art of stealth, would have been able to fool the Raven Guard's senses, and yet Sharrowkyn had not perceived the presence of this infiltrator in their midst. Eirene Septimus Soon the Kryptos had deciphered the information retrieved from the Alpha Legion Strike Cruiser and what it told the Iron Hands was of a most sensitive nature -- the data indicated that the mysterious Primarch and elusive Primarch of the XXth Legion was bound to meet with some of their troops in a nearby system. Thanks to the Kryptos, the Iron Hands now had the navigational logs of the Zeta Morgeld and the means to intercept Alpharius. As Meduson convened with Tyro, the Sisypheum and the Iron Heart readied themselves for a most dangerous venture -- to kill a Primarch. But before the Sisypheum could join the Iron Heart in this joint quest, they had to take the proposed mission to Captain Branthan. So it came to pass, that the wounded captain was awakened again from his stasis-slumber -- Branthan's words were still law as far as the Iron Hands were concerned, and his words were clear -- accept the mission, redeem the Iron Tenth's honour, and kill Alpharius. The data of the Zeta Morgeld took the Iron Hands into an uninhabited and barely cartographed system at the edge of known space. It was then no surprise when the data-logs confirmed that the system had originally been discovered by the Alpha Legion. The navigational charts took the Sisypheum and its partner to the system's seventh world, designated Eirene Septimus. The world was a Death World, whose acidic oceans were utterly inimical to life. Yet it had a strategic value, for its precipitations consisted of pure Promethium, a precious resource in this time of civil war. The sole human structure present on Eirene Septimus was a gigantic hovering grav-plate which harboured almost fully automated refineries, all in service of the XXth Legion. Designated Laerna 2-12, this gravitational plate was to be the place where Alpharius would talk to his Legion. Infiltrating this facility would have been next to impossible if the Iron Hands had not retrieved several suits of Alpha Legion Power Armour from the Zeta Morgeld. An advanced party from the Sisypheum would masquerade as Alpha Legionnaires to allow the landing parties from both the Sisypheum and the Iron Heart to enter Laerna 2-12. As was fairly common within the Iron Tenth, the Iron Hands’ commanders, Shadrak Meduson and Cadmus Tyro would personally lead their troops from the front although neither would be part of the infiltration team. Acting on his own initiative, Nykona Sharrowkyn infiltrated the facility ahead of the infiltration team itself, using his modified jump pack to jump from the Storm Eagle’s rear ramp while it was still approaching Laerna 2-12. Touching "ground" amidst the refineries rooftops and skyways, Sharrowkyn promptly dispatched two sentinels to allow the Iron Hands’ Storm Eagle and escorting Thunderhawk to disembark their troops. Once the path was clear, Sharrowkyn wasted no time and promptly went in search of a good vantage point from which he would be able to cover the infiltration team’s progress. Lerna 2-12 was a massive gravitational plate, an entire city floating above the acid seas of Eirene Septimus, hovering at the very edge of the cloudline where the air was still breathable. As suspected with such a secret facility, much of Lerna 2-12 was automated, a discovery Sharrowkyn quickly relayed to the still approaching Iron Hands gunships. To inflict maximum damages on the Alpha Legion, the Sisypheum’s two Iron Fathers, Frater Thamatica and Sabik Wayland had developed a chemical compound that would ignite within the Alpha Legion’s vessels Promethium reservoirs, thus obliterating the ships, but to release the compound, the Iron Hands first needed to gain control of Lerna 2-12’s main control hub, which had been designated as the infiltration team’s first target. Led by Septus Thoic and Verdana Cybus, two survivors of the Avernii Clan, the infiltration team initially made good progress, as to the few Mechanicum priest they encountered, they seemed indistinguishable to real members of the XXth Legion. It was only when the team encountered other Legionaries that matters became tense. The infiltration team encountered a couple of Alpha Legion Land Speeders, which were undoubtedly patrolling the the facility and were challenged by their crews. Having no knowledge of the XXth Legion’s secret battle-cant and code-phrases, Cybus managed to approach one of the vehicles by faking a malfunctioning vox bead before Sharrowkyn intervened -- warning Cybus to shoot when he himself opened fire. A high precision shot from Sharrowkyn’s Needler Sniper Rifle took the second Land Speeder’s gunner in the eye before the follow-up shots killed its driver, thus giving Cybus the split-second he needed to kill the first skimmer’s crew. With the infiltration team’s true identity still safe, Sharrowkyn advanced towards the objective. Lerna 2-12’s main control hub was located within a towering ziggurat whose architecture betrayed its affiliation to the Mechanicum rather than the Alpha Legion. Around the ziggurat a couple of Titans marched, but fortunately for the Iron Hands and the lone Raven Guard, these were not the mighty war-engines fielded by the Collegia Titanica, but workhorses of industrial might whose grappling limbs, fuel connector and lifter rigs were the only one powerful enough to wield the immense fuel lines gathering in the central refuelling column that dwarfed the main control hub as a mighty tree might a sapling. To gain access into the control hub, the infiltration team would not use brute force but more subtle ways: misdirection. Still clad in their stolen warplate, the infiltrators hastily staged a fake firefight, leading the ziggurat’s guards to let them in. Thanks in no small part to the code phrase they had been greeted with during their first encounter with the Traitors, the team convinced the guards that they were under assault by splinter-elements of the Raven Guard. Opening the door, the Alpha Legion let their "comrades" in, ready to repel the enemy when the Iron Hands turned on them. Sharrowkyn, of course placed the first shot, killing three guards in quick succession as the Iron Hands claimed the control room. The rest of the fight was a messy business, as the Loyalist used the captured Land Speeders to catch the surviving Alpha Legionnaires in a devastating cross-fire, shredding much of he far wall with their Heavy Bolters to ensure Cybus’ plan functioned. Sharrowkyn did not stay to watch this, knowing full well that a sniper needed to move as soon as his shot had been fired. Alpharius was almost there and that was a target Sharrowkyn would not let pass by so easily. As Alpharius' ship slowly docked with Lerna 2-12, Sharrowkyn had found a perfect spot, with an unobstructed line of fire to the staging ground where his target would soon appear. Frater Taumatica was conducting the necessary rites to release the compound into Lerna’s main Prometheum tanks which would soon be used to refuel the Alpha Legion ships, thus turning them into gigantic flying bombs. The infiltration team had also reached the staging ground, Thoic and Cybus leading the party. All this, Sharrowkyn observed through the lense of his Needle Sniper Rifle, attentive to every motion or sign that they had been discovered. A true marksman needed absolute calm to make the perfect shot, and Sharrowkyn knew first hand of how difficult it truly was, for his first attempt had failed. Yet, he could not shake the ill-feeling that something was amiss. From his sniper’s nest some three hundred metres above the ground, Sharrowkyn had an eagle’s view on the control hub and the landing platform on which Alpharius’ Thunderhawk gunship was due to arrive any minute. Cybus and his infiltration team, now numbering only five warriors, advanced unopposed and were being covered by two squads of Iron Hands Legionaries from the Iron Heart -- Meduson’s men. They moved with far superior discretion and skill than the men of the Sisypheum, and Sharrowkyn found a new respect for these warriors and their commanding officer. Yet still doubts nagged at his otherwise perfect concentration. Fixing Thoic and Cybus through his rifle’s crosshairs, easily piercing the veil of heavy rain that had begun to fall, Sharrowkyn stared at his comrades-in-arms for a long moment. Fighting alongside someone for years bred a special kind of connection between warriors, and Sharrowkyn knew every quirk, every slight detail in the body language of the men he was now observing. Nothing seemed to warrant his misgivings. The rain was obviously washing away some of the blood from Cybus’ armour, and other members of his infiltration team had also suffered some wounds in the taking of the control hub. Was this what had tipped him off? A slight limp due to a ricocheting bolter round or a shallow knife cut? Before he had the opportunity to delve further on the matter, Sharrowkyn’s thought were interrupted by the screeching sound of a Thunderhawk’s engines, an unmarked gunship that was approaching the landing pad. Alpharius was inbound. Once his transport had landed, Alpharius stepped from the Thunderhawk, quickly joining the waiting party led by Cybus and Thoic. From the moment he stepped out of the unmarked Thunderhawk, Sharrowkyn had the Primarch in his crosshairs but took no further action. As the sire of the XXth Legion exchanged some words with Thoic, Sharrowkyn could only watch in horror as Thoic drew his gladius and slit Cybus’ throat in one deft stroke. As a fierce firefight erupted between the Iron Hands in disguise and Alpharius’ escort, Thoic jumped on Alpharius, battling the Primarch in hand-to-hand combat. Sharrowkyn followed the massacre through the scope of his Needler Sniper Rifle. Focusing on the duel between Thoic and Alpharius, Sharrowkyn realised the reason for his earlier disquiet -- the warrior fighting the Primarch was not Septus Thoic, but an imposter. Recalling Meduson’s earlier comment that he had infiltrated the Sisypheum, Sharrowkyn realised the full extent of the truth. Cursing Tyro’s gullibility, Sharrowkyn clutched his Needler Sniper Rifle tighter and focused on "Thoic" which was now sparring with Alpharius himself. To Sharrowkyn’s trained eye, their similar fighting style was testimony enough that both warriors were in fact members of the Alpha Legion. Reading the ebb and flow of the combat, trying to dismiss the fact that beneath him his battle-brothers were dying, Sharrowkyn fired, and Alpharius went down, his brain pulverised by a high precision shot. Sharrowkyn promptly switched targets, aiming for "Thoic" but the infiltrator was already diving for cover while "Meduson’s" men were flanking the remaining Alpha Legionnaires. However, before Sharrowkyn could take his next shot, two Fire Raptor gunships were closing in on his position, their central Avenger Gatling Cannons already cycling. Wondering how they had found him so quickly, Sharrowkyn sprinted towards the edge on the venting tower, jumping to escape the torrent of fire unleashed by approaching gunship. Forewarned by a last transmission fromSabik Wayland, Cadmus Tyro realized how truly he had been betrayed, for his target had never been the Primarch of the XXth Legion but a dissident from the Alpha Legion’s ranks. The man they had set out to kill and the crews and Legionnaries that would soon die on the sabotaged ships had all been loal soldiers of the Emperor. And Cadmus Tyro had killed them, manipulated by the Traitors. The true Alpharius had been much closer at hand, masquerading this entire time as Shadrak Meduson. Save for Frater Thamatica and Ignatius Numen, all Iron Hands present in the control hub were in truth Alpha Legionnaries in disguise, following their Primarch’s order. Hopelessly outnumbered and confronted with a Primarch, Tyro knew he had little to no chance of escaping but could still buy Thamatica some time to come up with a contingency plan. The Iron Father never failed to deliver and he did so this time when a massive manipulator claw smashed through the control hubs ceiling, causing the entire building to collapse: still connected with Lerna 2-12’s control grid, Thamatica had ordered the Titans to destroy the control hub, allowing the three of them to turn the tables on their enemies. It was not much and arrayed against a Primarch they had no true chance of victory, but it ultimately proved enough as Sharrowkyn was able to join the fight barely in time to save Numen and Thamatica. Dropping directly into the fight, Sharrowkyn slammed into the Traitor named Ashur Maesan, a dreadfully agile, swift and vicious fighter that had already killed four of the Sisypheum’s Legionaries with his favoured weapon, the hiebmesser usually favoured by the dreaded Night Lords. Maesan recovered quickly, much quickly than Sharrowkyn had anticipated, lunging at Sharrowkyn before the Raven Guard had assumed his fighting stance. Using his jump pack with skill, Sharrowkyn put some distance between him and his opponent and their duel began in earnest. Soon Sharrowkyn was bleeding from two wounds on his neck and hip, disorientated by the Alpha Legionary’s fighting style. Feinting exhaustion, Sharrowkyn tricked Maesan into an all-out attack but rushed him by using his jump pack. Lightning-quick, Maesan ducked the onrushing Sharrowkyn, just as Sharrowkyn had anticipated. Letting go of one of his twin black swords to free his hand, Sharrowkyn used his free hand to grab Maesan’s shoulderguard. Using his momentum to swing himself around like a pendulum, Sharrowkyn triggered his jump pack again, reverting his motion and diving onto Maesan whom he stabbed right behind the collarbone, his black sword plunging deep into Maesan’s vital organs. Making sure his opponent was truly dead, Sharrowkyn readied himself for the next fight. Retrieving his discarded sword, Nykona Sharrowkyn readied himself to face the most dangerous enemy he had ever encountered : one of the Emperor’s Primarchs. It was not the first time Sharrowkyn had seen one of the Emperor’s own flesh and blood, it was not even the first time he had tried to kill one of them, the events on Hydra Cordatus were a testimony to that, but it would be the first time he would face a Primarch in hand-to-hand combat. Alpharius slowly advanced, negligently tossing aside Frater Thamatica which landed close to where the deeply wounded Captain Tyro laid. Words passed between the Primarch of the XXth Legion and the scion of the Raven Lord, Alpharius praising Sharrowkyn’s fighting skills. The Primarch bend over, retrieving Maesan’s hiebmesser and attaching it to his belt. Sharrowkyn tensed, expecting an attack despite the fact that the Primarch was not showing any sign of hostility. "Put your blades away, Nykona," said Alpharius, "I said you were good, but that shadow-slipping trick my brother taught you won’t work on me." "We’ll see" answered the defiant Raven Guard, gripping his swords tighter. "No, we won’t." said Alpharius turning around, adamant on not fighting Sharrowkyn for his brother Magnus had asked him not to. Puzzled, Sharrowkyn sheated his own swords knowing that he had nothing to fear, for despite his reputation, Alpharius was always true to his word. Sharrowkyn asked the Primarch what this had all been for, why he had entangled the Sysipheum in his plans and brought them to Lerna 2-12, but Alpharius simply answered he should ask Tyro. If he survived. Only now was the Raven Guard aware of Tyro’s true condition, his chest pierced by four mass-reactive shells and his skin even paler than his own. That he still lived at all was a testimony to the Iron Hands’ stubborness. Alpharius departed, saying : "I said I'' wouldn’t kill you, but I think ''that might." As on cue, the prow of one of the destroyed Alpha Legion Strike Cruisers fell down on Lerna 2-12, engulfing the refineries in another explosion. With the help of Thamatica, Sharrowkyn hefted Tyro’s body between them and tried to escape the grav-plate’s impeeding death. Fortunately for Sharrowkyn, Sabik Wayland had survived his aerial duel against the "Meduson’s" Thunderhawk and despite having taken severe hits, the Iron Father’s Storm Eagle was still airborne. As the grav-plate was about to fall down into the planet‘s acid oceans, the remaining four survivors of the Sysipheum quickly embarked, Sharrowkyn rushing to the cockpit to assist Wayland as a co-pilot, for Eirene Septimus’ atmosphere was on the verge of igniting. Battling his gunship’s control to keep their Storm Eagle on course, they broke the atmosphere just as Lerna 2-12 was erased from existence by the fiery tornado unleashed by the Strike Cruiser’s destruction. Cadmus Tyro stubbornly clung to life, even managing to exchange a few words with the lone Raven Guard, regretting that he had not heeded Sharowkyn’s advice. Henceforth Sharrowkyn would be given a voice on the Sysipheum and be considered an equal in all matters. Known Associates *'Apothecary Atesh Tarsa' - Tarsa's obsidian skin and fiery eyes marked him out as a son of Vulkan, a Salamanders of the XIXth Legion of the Legiones Astartes. Like Sharrowkyn, Tarsa was one of the few members of the crew that did not belong to the Iron Tenth. As former Apothecary of the 24th Company of the Salamanders’ Legion, Tarsa was the most experienced medical authority onboard, which quickly left him in charge of the survival of the Sisypheum’s heavily wounded captain, Ulrach Branthan, and the numerous wounded of all kind. Yet, when not fighting to save the life of one of his patients, Atesh Tarsa and Nykona Sharrowkyn spend a lot of time together. They made an unlike pair, the pale-skinned son of Corax and the dark Salamanders but both of them valued their friendship, having both been spared the trauma of knowing their gene-father had been slain. Sharrowkyn had been surprised when Tarsa had spotted him directly while he wandering amongst the Sisypheum’s corridors, a feat he believed impossible to those untrained in the art of stealth. When their ship was boarded by the Emperor's Children during the Battle of Iydris, it was Sharrowkyn that saved Tarsa's life, engaging the enemy swordsman about to finish the job. Sharrowkyn also benefitted from Tarsa's friendship, having found more than a friend -- Tarsa taught Sharrowkyn a measure of his skill as a weaponsmith -- guiding Sharrowkyn as he forged his own shortsword to replace his twin Gladii. *'Iron Father Sabik Wayland' -Sabik Wayland was an Iron Father of the Iron Hands Legion an responsible for saving Sharrowkyn’s life on the black sands of Istvaan V. As both a skilled pilot and a great inventor, Wayland was responsible for several powerful additions to the Iron Hands’ and indeed the Imperium’s arsenal. In the wake of the Drop Site Massacre, Wayland would play a key part in keeping the Sisypheum combat-worthy and become one of the Iron Hands’ most skilled infiltrators, for his skills in technological matters and contingency plans proved to be a powerful addition to Sharrowkyn’s own abilities. Wayland and Sharrowkyn would soon become the Sisypheum’s most skilled warriors and accomplished great deeds together. *'Cadmus Tyro' - A line-officer of the Iron Hands, Cadmus Tyro had risen through the ranks of 65th Company to become equerry to the illustrious Captain Ulrach Branthan. Following Branthan’s wounding on Istvaan V, Tyro became the nominal commander of the Sisypheum and the central figure for the survivors of the Shattered Legions to rally behind. A far more competent officer than everyone would have given him credit for, Tyro would orchestrate the first strikes against the Traitor Legions. Despite his considerable misgivings towards those survivors not originally from the Iron Tenth, Cadmus Tyro was able to forge a coherent fighting force from the disparate survivors of the Drop Site Massacre. A hard man to like, Sharrowkyn and Tyro did not get along very well until the events on Eirene Septimus. Known Opponents *'Alpharius' - As one of the Emperor’s own sons, the secretive and illusive Primarch of the XXth Legion towers over the average Legionary as a member of the Legiones Astartes towers over the unaugmented human. More than for any other Primarch, Alpharius Omegon’s origins and history has always been shrouded in mysteries and half-truth. Sharrowkyn encountered Alpharius on the isolate planet of Eirene Septimus, the Primarch of the Alpha Legion having tricked the Sysipheum’s crew into assassinating an influential Alpha Legion dissident. As Alpharius revealed his true identity, Sharrowkyn readied himself to face the Primarch but Alpharius refused to attack him, making veiled revelations as to a prophecy of Magnus the Red, the Primarch of the Thousand Sons’. This deeply unsettled Sharrowkyn for he had never served alongside the XVth Legion or met the Crimson King. *'Lucius the Eternal' - Even before the world-shattering events of the Istvaan III Atrocity, the swordman known as Lucius, then mere Captain of the Emperor’s Children 13th Company, was a greatly famed warrior with an impressive records of victories . Amongst the elite swordmen of the IIIrd Legion known as the Palatine Blades, Lucius had no match, save for their own sire - Fulgrim, The Phoenician - which led him to issue challenges to the most gifted warriors of all the Legiones Astartes and defeat most of them in single combat. Only the very best of them were able to twart him : Azkaellon of the Blood Angels and Garviel Loken of the Sons of Horus managed to spoil his victory or even defeat him, but before his encounter with Nykona Sharrowkyn, none had been able to kill him. Unfortunately for the Imperium, the feared swordman would be revived by the ministrations of the equally dreaded Apothecary Fabius Bile before the dark gifts of his new patron, the Chaos God Slaanesh, made him near immortal. Skills & Wargear As the sole member of the XIXth Legion onboard the Sysipheum, Nykona Sharrowkyn was mostly considered a loner, a lone wolve drawn from a parent Legion but with no affiliation to the majority of the survivors which were drawn from the Iron Hands. It came then as no surprise that Sharrowkyn mostly took to the field alone, often used as a stealth and infiltration specialist, a role he was supremely qualified for as Sharrowkyn was able to "Shadow-Walk" as only the member of the Mor Deythan could. Sharrowkyn shared many abilities with these elite-infiltration troops, including superior marksmanship with precision weapons such as Sniper Rifles. Sharrowkyn has been noted to prefer the less common Needler Sniper Rifle, valueing the weapon’s discretion as Needler-weapons do not create muzzle-flashes. At the same time, Sharrowkyn was expert in hand-to-hand combat, alledgedly trained by Corvus Corax himself, and he used his twin black swords with deadly efficiency. As most Raven Guard Legionaries, Sharrowkyn was also an expert in the use of the Jump Pack,of which it was said he was one of the few to use the Jump Pack’s bulk and propulsion systems even in combat, which already increased the Raven Guard natural speed in hand-to-hand combat. Sources *''Kryptos'' (Short Story) by Graham McNeill *''Angel Exterminatus'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill *''The Seventh Serpent'' (Novella) by Graham McNeill Category:N Category:S Category:Characters Category:Imperial Characters Category:Imperium Category:Space Marines Category:Raven Guard